KALAMAZOO — Close your eyes and take a bite. You’ll laugh about the flavor.

Waldo’s Campus Tavern has a pizza that tastes like a chili dog.

The kitchen puts chili on top of pizza dough, then Mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses and cut up hot dogs on top of that. When baked and bubbly, the pizza ($8 for small, $16. 75 for a large) is topped with freshly chopped onions and a drizzle of mustard.

The cut-up hot dogs may make it pedestrian, but the pizza is creative and fun and fits the sense of humor that’s part of the vibe of Waldo’s.

The restaurant went through a period of malaise three or four years ago where the staff, “was on auto pilot,” said owner Marty Pone.

It may have started with a leaky roof, but the transformation, along with a new staff, has helped keep the restaurant modern and part of the Western Michigan University student flow.

This restaurant, open since 1981, doesn’t have a lengthy menu. There’s 14 pizzas ($8 for small, $15 to $18.25 for a large) nine appetizers ($3.05 to $7.95), chicken tenders ($6.95) and a burger ($6.95) with a variety of available toppings. But, its not all freezer to fryer as Waldo’s does some of their dishes quite well.

During a recent visit, we were impressed by the “Our Famous ‘W’ Wings,” ($7.95) which are buffalo wings with a twist. The kitchen fries them, dips them in a sauce and finishes them on the grill. The wings have a sweet and tangy flavor and the grilling adds a further dimension.

This dish is one of the most popular selections among patrons, according to manager Bruce Hayes.

We approached the Cheeseburger Pizza ($8 for small, $16.75 for large) with skepticism. It sounded gross. But, it actually tasted good — and surprisingly like a cheeseburger. Ground beef, Mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses were piled on top of the crust, baked, then finished with lettuce, tomatoes and Thousand Island dressing.

The burgers are the thing at Waldo’s though — big, meaty, no-nonsense numbers with one’s choice of cheese, bacon, mushrooms and grilled onions. You get a half a pound of meat to chow down.

We also tried the Tomato, Basil ‘N Mozz pizza ($8 for small, $15 for large) which hit the mark. It had an olive oil base rather than tomato sauce and was Waldo’s version of the classic Margarita pizza.

It has turned out to be the restaurant’s most popular pizza. The restaurant doesn’t offer a lot of vegetarian dishes, so people who want something light and without a lot of meat drift to that, Hays said.

The Grilled Veggie Pizza ($8 for small, $15 for large) is another meatless option topped with olive oil and pesto with grilled tomatoes, onions, green and red peppers and zucchini.